A Well-Thought Out Gospel

A Well Thought-out Gospel

“As his custom was, Paul went into the synagogue, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and proving that the Christ had to suffer and rise from the dead.”

                                    -Acts 17:2-3a

I jumped in the church van this morning to pick up pumpkins for a hayride event we’re doing this Saturday at the church. I didn’t feel like listening to the radio, so I brought along some dusty cassette taped messages from Dr. J. P. Moreland. The title of the first tape was “The Menace of Mindless Christianity.” So I pushed it in to the deck and shifted the van into gear.

Dr. Moreland had many insightful things to say, but there was one particular point that stuck out in my mind. After making the case that, as a whole, Christians don’t value the life of the mind like they should; he explained how this problem has severely hampered our ability to win souls for Christ. I shifted in my seat. He had my attention.

He went on to argue that we have traded in the Gospel as a body of  truth that stands the test of reason (and therefore must be dealt with), for a lesser gospel that is presented merely as a means of solving life’s problems. It sounds like something you would find in the self-help section of Barnes and Nobel. We tell people, “Is your life a mess? Do you have problems in your marriage, finances, parenting or work? Come to Jesus and he will straighten you out.” That’s fine for people at the end of their rope, but for the majority of American’s life seems to be going along well enough without Jesus as life-coach.

Is this the approach of the greatest missionary of all time? Over and over again in the New Testament the Apostle Paul used careful and patiently presented persuasive language to confront the thinking errors of those he met. He studied the ways of the people he was trying to reach and he was familiar with their favorite poets and philosophers (Acts 17:16-34). He was able to answer the questions that seekers presented him and many came to Christ.

Did he use personal experience? Absolutely. He had a powerful testimony like many who have come through the Colony of Mercy. I would encourage anyone who has experienced the power and deliverance of God in their life to weave it into their testimony. But, don’t forget to study! Be knowledgeable about how the message of the Gospel answers the burning questions of our time. -- Welcome Pastor Jason Walsh to the team of Freedom Fighter contributors. Pastor Jason serves as Youth Pastor at Whiting Bible Church

Digging Deeper – Proverbs 19: Ezekiel 11-13; James 1

Dig This Quote – “Jesus claimed to come in fulfillment of hundreds of prophecies about who the Christ would be, where he would be born, how he would die. Have you ever looked into it? This kind of apologetic enquiry is as important to the Christian trying to understand his or her faith as it is to the non-Christian, who is honestly moved to examine these kinds of issues.” -Michael Ramsden, Beyond Opinion, p141. Ravi Zacharias, ed.  

Determined Digging: Level 1: John 11:25-26; Level 2: Matthew 5:1-9

Determined Praying:  The great secret of a right waiting upon God is to be brought down to utter importance. Andrew Murray